UK Championship snooker: Shaun Murphy into last eight after beating Graeme Dott
Shaun Murphy cruised into the quarter-finals of the UK Championship in York after a convincing 6-2 win over Graeme Dott.
Last Updated: 05/12/12 6:17am
The 30-year-old world number four quickly went 2-0 up, an advantage he extended to three frames with a break of 62 next time up.
Dott did manage to get on the scoreboard before the interval thanks to a break of 54 but Murphy stepped up his game with a total clearance of 130 after the break.
Dott kept himself in contention by taking the sixth frame but breaks of 75 and 57 in the next two ensured Murphy eased through to the last eight, where he will face Mark King or Luca Brecel.
"I just don't think I'm the same player I was. I don't think there's anyone else in the top 16 that can play as badly as I can play. It's not good enough," Dott said.
The 35-year-old added: "Hopefully it's not just because of my age. I don't know if I've had it. Maybe I'm finished."
The evening session's other match on Tuesday saw Premier League champion Stuart Bingham progress to the quarter-finals thanks to a 6-4 victory over Stephen Maguire.
Maguire, who took the title back in 2004, came back from a 2-0 deficit early in the contest but could not press on and turn things around properly as his opponent edged back ahead.
The decisive point in the match came in the ninth frame as Bingham rattled in a clearance of 120 to move 5-4 ahead and Essex player completed the win the next frame.
